Good Morning Fruit Producing Branches of the Vine! Amen! May it be so Lord! May we all produce the fruit we are created to produce and do the things we are created to do. Thank You for fearfully and wonderfully creating us for such a time as this. Thank You for placing us where You desire us to thrive and produce good fruit. Come! Fill us with Living Water overflowing. You are capable of doing all you desire and You prepare a way for us. Help us to stay connected and focused on You and Your plans and help us to follow well. Thanks! Amen!
This all flows from some of our devotionals for (below). What have you heard and what will you do about it? God is speaking His love and acceptance over you right now. Can you hear it? Listen and receive! , three Bible passages sunk deep into my abiding spirit: Isaiah 43:1-2, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Eph. 2:10. read and meditate on these as well as you abide in our Vine and receive His life-giving nutrition. The go prepared to do the things God has created you for and just for you. Start with living and loving like Jesus. He is the Way, the Vine and our Good Shepherd. Go! And bring His love and peace alive.
Is. 43:1-2 reminds us to fear not and that God has redeemed us and will protect us. he is calling us by name. Prov. 3 reminds us to get out of our own heads and foolish thinking and acknowledge God in all we do and He will direct our steps. Eph 2:10 is on of our foundational verses for St, Matts. We shared it again..."You are God's masterpiece, made new in Christ (and gifted and activated when you come to His new life) to do all He created you to do. You are covered, carried, guided and created for such a time as this and the Father is calling you by name to come and follow. Put on your armor and Jesus' easy yoke, step out the door in faith and go love well. I'm praying for you and would love to hear your stories of how God molded, prunned and used you . Shalom shalom!
UR: Capable
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” - John 15:5 (NIV)
My first sentence as a child was, “I do it myself.” From the earliest years of my life, being fiercely independent has been part of my identity. It is a trait that is continually reinforced by our individualistic culture. I believed any problem could be solved with willpower and a self-help book. Over time, I have come to see that my aversion to asking for help and my tendency to strive to do things on my own stems from a lie. It’s a lie that says people and maybe even Jesus will think less of me if I ask for help, a lie that says that if I am not capable on my own, I am a failure.
God’s word in scripture, however, has shown me that we are not created to rely only on ourselves. Jesus said that he is the vine and we are the branches; that if a branch is not attached to the vine, it shrivels up and dies. When we strive to do everything on our own, we often fall short and end up frustrated and exhausted. Jesus invites us to keep company with him so that we can find the rest we need to live freely (see Matt. 11:28-30). When we stay close to Jesus, his strength lightens our burdens and enables us to flourish.
's Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, help us to remain close to you so that we may be filled with your love and joy. Amen.
TWFYT:
Sarah Young:
ODB:
What God Will Do
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33
During the Blitz on London on , 1940, a bomb destroyed a warehouse near St. Paul’s Cathedral. When Biddy Chambers received the news that all 40,000 copies of Oswald Chambers’ books stored there were lost—which she had compiled and edited but not insured—she set down her teacup and remarked to her daughter, “Well, God has used the books for His glory, but now that is over. We’ll wait and see what God will do now.”
Perhaps Biddy was remembering what her late husband, Oswald, had written at the start of the First World War. He noted how Jesus had spoken to His disciples about “the inevitability of peril” so that when horrible things happened, they would “not be scared” because He was with them.
Jesus told His friends, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He wanted them to remain strong in their faith in His Father so they could withstand the trials and challenges they would endure.
Biddy’s quiet confidence in God carried her through, and eventually the books were reprinted and became classics for generations. We too can find encouragement and hope in Jesus’ promises that He has overcome the world. We know that He won’t leave us (14:18) and will give us peace (v. 27), no matter what we face.
By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY
How do you respond to Biddy’s reaction when she heard the devastating news of the books burning? How could you follow her example of trusting God?
Loving Jesus, please help me to “overcome the world” in my daily life as I share Your love with others.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
As we face uncertainty in this world (as was the case with the disciples in John 16), receiving words of comfort can be like a two-sided coin. One side is stamped with the words, “Take heart!” (v. 33) or “Fear not!” We can take this command seriously and trust God in the face of all kinds of fears. Then we see the other side of the comfort coin: “I [Jesus] have overcome the world” (v. 33). The words of Christ, prophetic and anticipatory at the time they were spoken, have even greater meaning on this side of the cross and resurrection. Jesus was indeed victorious! He conquered death, and because He did, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). No matter what we face, because of our faith in Christ, God will be with us and will give us peace.
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